Deanna Passchier:
CLASS OF 1957
Artesia High SchoolClass of 1957
Lakewood, CA
Deanna's Story
Life
Hello Classmates,
My husband, Arie, and I are both classmates of AHS 1957 graduating class. I have had the good fortune to have had many different opportunities for interesting and challenging jobs. The ones I liked the best were teaching children, teenagers and adults foreign languages and piano. One of the most challenging and most rewarding jobs is being a teacher I believe.
I started sales as a ten-year old selling eggs of my own chickens....60cents a dozen. I graduated to babysitting at twelve and then on to secretarial experience with my first "real" job working in the office of Richard Franks CPA on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia. That was a lucky thing for me because it helped finance all the extra expenses I had in high school and gave me valuable real-life business experiences. I used this for the rest of my various careers.
I went to work at Western Girl, an office temp agency to help me finance college expenses. That was also lucky experience in dealing with real-world problems and trying to earn my way through the University of Redlands where I graduated in 3 1/2 years. I immediately started graduate school so that I could teach high school German and French that following September on a provisional credential. Arie and I were dating all through college and then got married in June of 1962. We are married over 45 years and still counting....
After teaching languages at Excelsior High School for two years I was fully credentialed and had really earned my "stripes". I interviewed in Seattle to be a language teacher and was hired to teach German there while Arie attended graduate school in chemistry at the U. of W. I taught for about five years in Seattle and then we returned to S. California for Arie's job at Rockwell/Boeing where he has remained for 40 years......
One of the fun jobs I took on as a teacher was working with foreign exchange students. At Excelsior we had a girls from Holland and Italy. One had a detached retina during her stay and the other fell in love with one of my German students and didn't want to go home! In Seattle I was in charge of the program for about 5 years and had contact with many more foreign students and their adventures, problems and the rewards too.
When we were forced to relocate to Orange County because of Arie's job we had our first real estate c...Expand for more
risis when 18000 people were laid off their jobs and we could not sell our home in l969 so we were forced to rent out the house and move. That was a lucky thing for us in the long run because we learned a bit about tax exchanges and real estate appreciation and also management of income property. Learn by doing. It was a good thing that we couldn't sell the house because when the market changed we were finally able to sell later at a better price.....
Anyway, that paved the way for a new career in real estate sales. Eventually I got my license and worked part-time selling homes and income properties starting in 1978, teaching piano at home part-time and raising two active boys. Those were the really hectic years! We did manage to travel quite a bit with the children and our parents. Our favorite was Hawaii and then probably Europe. I had been a student in Austria in 1960 and still kept in contact with some friends made then.
We have hosted various students from foreign countries in our home and still remain in contact with several of them. One stayed for a year from Germany and we still visit back and forth with his family. Our boys both studied German and visited their families in Germany. Another student from Prague, Czech Republic, has become like another son to us also. We had children from China, England and Japan as well for various times. It has been a rewarding and fun experience for all of us. We were invited to come to Athens for the Olympics in 2004 and stayed with an exchange student's family who was at our home for a year in Artesia. We had a great time and learned alot about Greek people from a first-hand experience in a Greek family.
However, the most fun job of all has to be that of grandparent....Now we have a little granddaughter and all things suddenly come into perspective. Life goes on and we are lucky and happy. Well, now we have a second granddaughter born on the 4th of July. Monica, from Santa Monica a sweet little angel added to our family. More is more good. Any more grandchildren will be welcomed, anywhere, any time!
My hero is my mother. She managed to raise five children and adored her 12 grandchildren. She was loving and generous to a fault. We all remember her fondly. If I could be half as successful as my mother I will live a very happy life to the very end!
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
